Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sintered nuclear fuel body or compact that contains (U, Pu)O.sub.2 mixed crystals.
The invention also relates to a method for producing a sintered nuclear fuel body that contains (U, Pu)O.sub.2 mixed crystals from powdered starting materials of uranium dioxide UO.sub.2+X and plutonium dioxide PuO.sub.2, which are ground, compressed into bodies, and sintered as bodies in a hydrogen-containing sintering atmosphere. The variable X is in a range from 0 to 0.3.
One such sintered nuclear fuel body and one such method are known from German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 38 02 048 A1. In that known method, the powdered starting materials of uranium dioxide and plutonium dioxide are ground together with an additive, which is at least one powdered substance selected from the group consisting of ammonium uranyl carbonate, ammonium diuranate, ammonium bicarbonate, zinc stearate, zinc behenate, starch, cellulose, oxalic acid diamide and stearic acid diamide. The powder mixture can be ground and then compressed into tablet-like bodies, which are sintered in a sintering atmosphere of hydrogen.
The sintered nuclear fuel bodies that are obtained are dimensionally stable and also only have slight open porosity, so that gaseous nuclear fission products in a nuclear reactor can be trapped in the sintered nuclear fuel bodies.